19 rescued from sinking boat off Buruni

The Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has rescued 19 people who were travelling on a speedboat headed to Th. Atoll, after it began taking in water.

A spokesperson from the MNDF told Sun that the boat, ‘Mr.Speed’, had been traveling from Male’ City to Th. Atoll when it sent out a distress call at around 03:55 pm on Monday.

The boat was four nautical miles outside Th. Buruni when it reported that it had begun taking in water and was sinking.

Soldiers from the MNDF Central Area Command Kudahuvadhoo Post were deployed to assist the boat.

The soldiers rescued the 19 people onboard – 16 passengers and three crew members – and took them to Buruni on the ‘Hiyala’ boat.

The soldiers also used a pump to control the flooding on the boat.

The incident did not result in any injuries, and the boat was later taken safely to Buruni.